Activation

Here's a simple question which I hope has a simple answer. I sign up with an ISP for a Broadband service and pay for Activation as a one-off fee with monthly service charges applying thereafter. I decide to move to another ISP which also charges a one-off fee for Activation. Is the fee appropriate - i.e. are they actually doing anything other than providing me with data transmission service for which I am paying the monthly fee? (I know most ISPs include the Activation fee for a minimum contract period but ignore that scenario here.) So, the main question is...

"What is Activation?"

...with the supplementary one...

"Once an Activation has taken place on a line does it need to be done again?"

P.S. I did look in Wikipedia - as well as around this forum - but to no avail.

Edited by deleted (Fri 16-Mar-07 00:02:57)

Is this with a MAC or "cease and provide"?

The ISP is charging for a range of things.

Firstly there's the connection itself. If you are on LLU with either supplier then there will be a charge for the physical change between BT's IPStream equipment and the LLU providers equipment (or vice versa). I'm not sure if migrating between IPStream providers actually incurs a physical move.

Secondly, there's all the administration in setting up your account with the ISP and the work involved in processing the move between suppliers.

Hope that helps.

If you were to move to another provider you would want to do this via a migration obtaining Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) - this is a lot cheaper than paying another activation fee

Ask your ISP for a MAC.

Thank you all for for your suggestions - and one question. My enquiry was not because I am about to move (I'm fairly happy with my ISP, Prodigy Networks, despite their mail relay server being down most of today) but in case I do in the future. It so happens that I paid

Edited by deleted (Sun 18-Mar-07 22:52:54)

In reply to:

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though given the show's awful presenters I may struggle to watch it.

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Watchdog has always been a programme produced by the brain dead for the brain dead.

On original activation which was